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A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is an Emmy award-winning animated television special based on the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz, directed by Phil Roman and Bill Melendez. It originally aired on CBS on November 20, 1973 and continues to air annually in the United States on a date near to the Thanksgiving holiday. It has aired on ABC since 2001.

Plot

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving storyboard

A promotional image inspired by the show.

Charlie and Sally Brown are planning to go to their Grandmother's for Thanksgiving dinner, when Peppermint Patty calls Charlie Brown, and invites herself to have Thanksgiving dinner at his house. Shortly thereafter, she calls two more times, saying that Marcie and Franklin will also be attending. Charlie Brown tries to explain that this is not possible, but Peppermint Patty keeps prattling on with little regard to Charlie's words.

When Linus comes over, Charlie Brown explains his predicament. Linus then proposes a solution: have two dinners. One can be in the afternoon with the other kids, and then Charlie Brown can still go to his Grandmother's as planned. Charlie Brown is not convinced of this idea, as his culinary expertise is limited to preparing cold cereal and maybe toast. Linus, Snoopy, and Woodstock offer to help Charlie Brown prepare for the dinner.

Linus recruits Snoopy and Woodstock to help set up the guest area, as well as prepare the meal. Sometime later, Peppermint Patty, Marcie and Franklin arrive. After everyone has a seat, Linus says grace and gives a speech in regards to what Thanksgiving is about.

Once grace is finished, Snoopy serves the food that has been prepared: buttered toast, jellybeans, pretzel sticks, and popcorn. Upon seeing the food available, Peppermint Patty grumpily shouts at Charlie Brown regarding its poor quality, saying that they should have been served a real Thanksgiving dinner. Embarrassed at the situation, Charlie leaves the table.

Once he has gone, Marcie asks her friend if she was being too rough on Charlie Brown. Peppermint Patty vehemently says that they should have been served a real Thanksgiving Dinner. Knowing her friend's personality well, Marcie asks if Charlie Brown had intended to invite them over, or if Peppermint Patty invited herself, and somewhat forced her and Franklin to come along. Upon realizing what a jerk she has been, Peppermint Patty asks Marcie to talk to Charlie Brown and tell him that she is sorry for the harsh words and what she has done.

Marcie discusses things with Charlie Brown, who still feels that he has ruined the day for everyone. However, Marcie explains that Thanksgiving is about what Linus said in his speech: it's about being together and being thankful like the Pilgrims were. As they finish talking, Peppermint Patty appears and apologizes in person for her attitude.

As he looks at the clock, Charlie Brown realizes that he is late for dinner with his grandmother. He quickly dials her up, and explains what happened. When his Grandmother finds out that his friends have not eaten dinner yet, she insists they all come to eat at her place.

Shortly thereafter, the kids start on their trip to Charlie's grandmother's condominium, leaving Snoopy and Woodstock alone at home. As soon as they leave, the two friends set up a table outside the doghouse, where Snoopy serves up a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for the two of them.

Notes

  • Many viewers sent complaints to CBS about Woodstock eating a turkey with Snoopy, seeing it as an act of "bird cannibalism." Charles Schulz insisted that Woodstock join Snoopy in carving and eating a turkey, despite Lee Mendelson's protests.
  • Marcie calls Peppermint Patty "Priscilla" because Linus made a reference to Miles Standish, Priscilla and Miles Standish are characters in The Courtship of Miles Standish.
  • This special received that year's Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Children's Programming (which went to Charles M. Schulz). It was also nominated for Outstanding Children's Special, but did not win. There's No Time for Love, Charlie Brown, which was broadcast in the same year, did not receive any nominations.
  • Sally states that she "didn't finish all of her Halloween candy," This can be considered a continuity error because in the earlier special It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Sally does not go trick-or-treating but remains in the pumpkin patch with Linus instead.

Goofs

  • It takes Peppermint Patty about six seconds to realize that the food being served is not a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, even though she is looking right at it for the entirety of that time.
  • At the table, the chairs keep moving in different shots, Franklin is shown sitting with other chairs and without.

Voice cast

Thankspeanuts

The logo used by Google during Thanksgiving 2009 was inspired by the television special.

Gallery

See also

External links


Peanuts Animated Features
TV Specials Released 1960s A Charlie Brown ChristmasCharlie Brown's All-StarsIt's the Great Pumpkin...You're in Love...He's Your Dog...It Was a Short Summer...
1970s Play It Again...You're Not Elected...There's No Time for Love...A Charlie Brown ThanksgivingIt's a Mystery...It's the Easter Beagle...Be My Valentine...You're a Good Sport...It's Arbor Day...It's Your First Kiss...What a Nightmare...You're the Greatest...
1980s She's a Good Skate...Life Is a Circus...It's Magic...Someday You'll Find Her...A Charlie Brown CelebrationIs This Goodbye...?It's an Adventure...What Have We Learned...?It's Flashbeagle...Snoopy's Getting Married...You're a Good Man...Happy New Year...!Snoopy!!! The MusicalIt's the Girl in the Red Truck...
1990s Why, Charlie Brown, Why?Snoopy's ReunionIt's Spring Training...It's Christmastime Again...You're in the Super Bowl...It Was My Best Birthday Ever...
2000s It's the Pied Piper...A Charlie Brown ValentineCharlie Brown's Christmas TalesLucy Must Be Traded...I Want a Dog for Christmas...He's a Bully...
2010s Happiness Is a Warm Blanket...
2020s For Auld Lang SyneIt's The Small Things...To Mom (and Dad), With LoveLucy's SchoolOne-of-a-Kind MarcieWelcome Home, Franklin
Movies A Boy Named Charlie BrownSnoopy, Come HomeRace for Your Life, Charlie BrownBon Voyage, Charlie Brown (And Don't Come Back!!)The Peanuts Movie
The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show Season 1 "Snoopy's Cat Fight" • "Snoopy: Team Manager" • "Linus and Lucy" • "Lucy vs. the World" • "Linus' Security Blanket" • "Snoopy: Man's Best Friend" • "Snoopy the Psychiatrist" • "You Can't Win, Charlie Brown" • "The Lost Ballpark" • "Snoopy's Football Career" • "Chaos in the Classroom" • "It's That Team Spirit, Charlie Brown" • "Lucy Loves Schroeder"
Season 2 "Snoopy and the Giant" • "Snoopy's Brother Spike" • "Snoopy's Robot" • "Peppermint Patty's School Days" • "Sally's Sweet Babboo"
This Is America, Charlie Brown "The Mayflower Voyagers" • "The Birth of the Constitution" • "The Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk" • "The NASA Space Station" • "The Building of the Transcontinental Railroad" • "The Great Inventors" • "The Smithsonian and the Presidency" • "The Music and Heroes of America"
Snoopy in Space "The Application" • "Training" • "The Graduation" • "Welcome to the ISS" • "I Never Promised You a Space Garden" • "Space Sleepwalking" • "The Journey on Orion" • "Crater Crash" • "Searching for Moon Rocks" • "You're a Good Moon, Charlie Brown" • "The Next Mission" • "Mars or Bust"
Others Peanuts (2014 TV series) • Peanuts Motion ComicsThe Snoopy Show
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